Photo: Stefan.lefnaer · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Bernard Dupont · CC BY-SA 2.0
Lake Vrana is the great freshwater lake in the middle of the island of Cres, hidden in a basin among the hills, with the tiny village of Vrana above it. It is the island’s treasure: its exceptionally clear water supplies Cres and Lošinj, and the lake is strictly protected. Locals simply call it the lake.
How it formed
The lake is a cryptodepression: a tectonic fault opened a basin in the island’s rock whose bottom lies far below sea level, while the water surface stands slightly above it. It was once thought that underground streams brought its water from the mainland, but a study in 1957 showed that it is fed by rain, by runoff from the surrounding hills and by springs on the island itself; the streams sink into the gravel along the shore and are filtered before they reach it. The balance is delicate: if the level fell too far, sea water could seep in.
History
Eels from the lake are mentioned in a record of fishing rights from 1439, and before the water supply was built the lake was fished freely with nets and traps and crossed by boat. The town of Cres has drawn its drinking water from it since 1953, and Mali and Veli Lošinj about ten years later. Legend says two sisters once owned the valley: the rich one was cruel to the poor one, and an earthquake and flood sank her castle, whose bells can still be heard from the depths on stormy nights.
Nature
The water is very pure, poor in nutrients and clear to great depths. Pike, tench, rudd and carp live in it, said by local tradition to have been brought in during the 19th century, and with no natural predators they grow unusually large; eels are the lake’s oldest recorded fish. Folk tales also place fairies in the caves around the shore.
Visit
Warning:
Swimming is prohibited.
Swimming
Prohibited
Fishing
Prohibited
Boating
Prohibited
Camping
Prohibited
Tips
The lake is a protected source of drinking water and its shore is closed to the public: swimming, boating and camping are not allowed. In the protection zone around it, watering livestock, fertilisers and logging are banned as well.
The lake is best seen from above, from the village of Vrana, about 15 km south of the town of Cres. The walks and bike routes of central Cres are hot in summer, so carry plenty of water; spring and autumn are the pleasantest seasons. Do not confuse it with Vransko jezero in Dalmatia, the nature park near Pakoštane.
Nearby lakes
Show on mapPhoto: Stefan.lefnaer · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Sources & data
- Hrvatska enciklopedija: Vransko jezero (Cres), Leksikografski zavod Miroslav Krleža
- Novi list: Godine čekanja cisterni s vodom na Tramuntani uskoro idu u prošlost (12 May 2025), Novi list, 2025
- Wikidata: Lake Vrana (Q2451527), Wikimedia Foundation
- English Wikipedia: Lake Vrana (Cres), Wikimedia Foundation
- Croatian Wikipedia: Vransko jezero (Cres), Wikimedia Foundation
- Vransko jezero (Cres), Komoot
- One of Croatia’s most beautiful lakes is hidden away on an island (2025), Total Croatia News